Robert N. McClory, Class of 1932

Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Robert McClory was a long time member of the House of Representatives and a key figure in the impeachment proceedings against former President Richard Nixon. Originally from Riverside, Illinois, McClory spent a year teaching English and studying in Switzerland , where he became a pole-vaulting champion. After attending Dartmouth College, he came to work for a bank in Chicago and earned his law degree from Chicago-Kent just as a promotion opened up that required a law degree. He reluctantly entered politics, serving in the Illinois State Legislature from 1951 to 1962.

McClory was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1962, representing the 13th Congressional District in Illinois and went on to serve ten terms. During his tenure, he supported issues such as the enactment and extension of the Law Enforcement Assistance Act, voting rights legislation, mandatory sentencing for drug dealers and those committing crimes with guns, elimination of automatic cost of living salary increases for members of Congress, increased inheritance tax exemptions for family farms and a requirement for the merit selection of federal judges. He was also the principal House Republican sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1974, McClory was the second-ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee and helped draft charges of impeachment against President Nixon. His congressional district was eliminated by reapportionment in 1981 and rather than run against another incumbent Republican in his new district, he chose to retire. He concluded his career practicing law in the Washington, D.C. office of Baker & McKenzie. McClory passed away in 1988 at the age of 80.